Autonomous vehicle route planning

ABSTRACT

A method for route planning for an autonomous vehicle includes determining whether a route to a destination includes a stall factor and determining whether the autonomous vehicle will be occupied during the route. The method also includes determining an alternate route based on the determined stall factor when the autonomous vehicle will be unoccupied. The method still further includes controlling the autonomous vehicle to drive on the alternate route when the alternate route does not include a stall factor.

BACKGROUND Field

Certain aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to routeplanning and, more particularly, to a system and method for planning aroute for an autonomous vehicle.

Background

Conventional navigation systems account for external factors whenselecting a route to a destination. The external factors may includetraffic, road hazards, and/or weather. Additionally, conventionalnavigation systems for non-autonomous vehicles may only determine aroute to a destination. In contrast, autonomous vehicle navigationsystems may determine a route to and from a destination. That is, theautonomous vehicle navigation system selects a route from a startingpoint to a destination and from the destination back to the startingpoint. For example, an autonomous taxi may pick up a customer at a taxistation, drive the customer to a destination, and return to the taxistation for another pickup.

For autonomous mobility-as-a-service (MAAS) vehicles, the autonomousMAAS vehicle may be unoccupied for one leg of a trip. For example, theautonomous MAAS vehicle may be occupied when traveling to a destinationand may be unoccupied when traveling from the destination to a startingpoint. Therefore, in contrast to conventional navigation systems thatonly consider external factors, navigation systems for autonomous MAASvehicles should be improved to consider the ability of the autonomousMAAS vehicle to successfully complete a route.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for route planning foran autonomous vehicle is disclosed. The method includes determiningwhether a stall factor is present during a route to a destination. Themethod also includes determining whether the autonomous vehicle will beoccupied during the route. The method further includes determining analternate route when the stall factor is present and when the autonomousvehicle is unoccupied during the route. The method still furtherincludes control the autonomous vehicle to drive on the alternate routewhen the alternate route does not include a stall factor.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium with non-transitory program code recordedthereon is disclosed. The program code is for route planning for anautonomous vehicle. The program code is executed by a processor andincludes program code to determine whether a stall factor is presentduring a route to a destination. The program code also includes programcode to determine whether the autonomous vehicle will be occupied duringthe route. The program code further includes program code to determiningan alternate route when the stall factor is present and when theautonomous vehicle is unoccupied during the route. The program codestill further includes program code to control the autonomous vehicle todrive on the alternate route when the alternate route does not include astall factor.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to an apparatus forroute planning for an autonomous vehicle. The apparatus having a memoryand one or more processors coupled to the memory. The processor(s) isconfigured to determine whether a stall factor is present during a routeto a destination. The processor(s) is also configured to determinewhether the autonomous vehicle will be occupied during the route. Theprocessor(s) is further configured to determine an alternate route whenthe stall factor is present and when the autonomous vehicle isunoccupied during the route. The processor(s) still further configuredto control the autonomous vehicle to drive on the alternate route whenthe alternate route does not include a stall factor.

This has outlined, rather broadly, the features and technical advantagesof the present disclosure in order that the detailed description thatfollows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages ofthe present disclosure will be described below. It should be appreciatedby those skilled in the art that this present disclosure may be readilyutilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures forcarrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should alsobe realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalentconstructions do not depart from the teachings of the present disclosureas set forth in the appended claims. The novel features, which arebelieved to be characteristic of the present disclosure, both as to itsorganization and method of operation, together with further objects andadvantages, will be better understood from the following descriptionwhen considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to beexpressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided forthe purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended asa definition of the limits of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features, nature, and advantages of the present disclosure willbecome more apparent from the detailed description set forth below whentaken in conjunction with the drawings in which like referencecharacters identify correspondingly throughout.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate flow diagrams for determining whether to accepta reservation according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate examples of selecting a route to adestination according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementationfor an autonomous vehicle navigation system according to aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram for route planning for a vehicleaccording to aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below, in connection with theappended drawings, is intended as a description of variousconfigurations and is not intended to represent the only configurationsin which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detaileddescription includes specific details for the purpose of providing athorough understanding of the various concepts. It will be apparent tothose skilled in the art, however, that these concepts may be practicedwithout these specific details. In some instances, well-known structuresand components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoidobscuring such concepts.

Based on the teachings, one skilled in the art should appreciate thatthe scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any aspect ofthe present disclosure, whether implemented independently of or combinedwith any other aspect of the present disclosure. For example, anapparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using anynumber of the aspects set forth. In addition, the scope of the presentdisclosure is intended to cover such an apparatus or method practicedusing other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality inaddition to, or other than the various aspects of the present disclosureset forth. It should be understood that any aspect of the presentdisclosure may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary”is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous overother aspects.

Although particular aspects are described herein, many variations andpermutations of these aspects fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure. Although some benefits and advantages of the preferredaspects are mentioned, the scope of the present disclosure is notintended to be limited to particular benefits, uses or objectives.Rather, aspects of the present disclosure are intended to be broadlyapplicable to different technologies, system configurations, networksand protocols, some of which are illustrated by way of example in thefigures and in the following description of the preferred aspects. Thedetailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the presentdisclosure rather than limiting, the scope of the present disclosurebeing defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Conventional navigation systems account for external factors whenselecting a route to a destination. The external factors may includetraffic, road hazards, and/or weather. In most cases, conventionalnavigation systems select a route with a least number of externalfactors. For example, when determining a route based on travel time, theconventional navigation system may select a longer distance route thathas less traffic in comparison to a shorter distance route.

Additionally, conventional navigation systems for non-autonomousvehicles may only determine a route to a destination. In contrast, anavigation system for an autonomous mobility-as-a-service (MAAS) vehiclemay determine a route from an initial location to a destination and fromthe destination to a return location, such as the initial location. Forexample, the autonomous MAAS vehicle (e.g., autonomous taxi) may pick upa customer at an initial location (e.g., taxi station, airport, trainstation, etc.) drive the customer to a destination, and return to thelocation for another pickup. In this example, the autonomous MAASvehicle is unoccupied after driving the customer to the destination.

Aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to an autonomous MAASvehicle. Other vehicles are also considered. For example, aspects of thepresent disclosure may also be directed to an autonomous personallyowned vehicle (POV). For example, an owner may commute to work by train.Still, the POV may drive the owner to the train station. In thisexample, a route planning system may consider a potential for stallingfrom the drop-off location (e.g., train station) to a return location(e.g., the owner's house). Additionally, when the owner is commutingfrom work to the train station, the owner may summon the POV to drivefrom the owner's home to the train station. In this example, the routeplanning system may consider a potential for stalling from an initiallocation to a pickup location. In the present application, forsimplicity, the MAAS vehicle and the POV vehicle may be referred to as avehicle.

Aspects of the present disclosure consider a potential for stallingduring different types of routes. The routes may include a route from aninitial location to a pickup location, a route from a pickup location toa drop-off location, and a route from the drop-off location to a returnlocation. In some cases, a vehicle's trip includes all three routes or acombination of the routes.

In some cases, the vehicle may stall during a trip. For example, thevehicle may experience mechanical failure (e.g., flat tire, drainedbattery, etc.) or sensor failure (e.g., no GPS signal, nowireless-network signal, etc.). If the vehicle is occupied, thepassenger(s) may provide assistance. For example, the passenger(s) mayfix the mechanical failure, call for help, or walk to get help. Incontrast, it may be difficult for an unoccupied vehicle to overcome astall. For example, if the unoccupied vehicle stalls in an area withoutwireless-network service, the vehicle cannot call for assistance.

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to determining whether aroute includes a stall factor. An alternate route is selected if theroute includes a stall factor. If an alternate route is not available,the vehicle does not drive on the route. The route refers to the routeto meet a customer at a customer's location, a route to a destination,and/or a route from the destination to another location, such as aninitial location.

As an example, a customer may reserve a vehicle. The vehicle reservationmay include the customer's location and a destination. In response toreceiving the reservation, the vehicle determines a pickup route to thecustomer's location, a destination route to the destination from thecustomer's location, and a return route to a return location. Each routemay include multiple potential routes. In one configuration, the vehicleeliminates a potential route when there is a potential for stalling onthe route.

The potential for stalling may be based on one or more stall factorssuch as low fuel, low battery, mobile service being less than athreshold, environmental considerations (e.g., bad weather),construction, road hazards, unmapped areas (e.g., private roads),out-of-date maps, accidents, sensor failure conditions, etc. The vehiclemay select an alternate route if the route includes one or more stallfactors. Prior to selecting an alternate route, the vehicle maydetermine whether it is safe to proceed on the route that includes oneor more stall factors. For example, when determining whether it is safeto proceed on the route, the vehicle may determine: whether it will beoccupied during the route; whether the passenger has a driver's license;and/or a duration of a stall factor.

The vehicle may accept a reservation if the vehicle can complete thetrip without stalling. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a flow diagram100 for determining whether to accept a reservation according to aspectsof the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, at block 102, a vehiclereceives a destination based on a customer's reservation. Thedestination refers to a location the vehicle will travel to/from itsinitial location. For example, the destination is the customer'slocation or the customer's intended destination. In this example, thevehicle drives to the customer's location to meet the customer (e.g.,pick up the customer) and then drives the customer to their destination.In another example, the vehicle is at a pick-up location (e.g., airportpick-up lot) and the customer enters the vehicle at the pick-uplocation.

At block 104, the vehicle determines a route to the destination. Theroute may be based on external factors, such as traffic. For example,the route may be a route with a least travel time in view of theexternal factors. At block 106, the vehicle determines if the routeincludes a stall factor. The stall factor includes, but is not limitedto, low resources (e.g., fuel, battery, etc.), environmental factors,road hazards, unmapped areas, out-of-date maps, traffic, accidents,sensor failure conditions, etc.

If the route does not include a stall factor, at block 108, the vehicleselects the route to the destination. In an optional configuration, ifthe route includes a stall factor, at block 110, the vehicle determinesif it will be occupied during the route. The vehicle may be unoccupiedif the route is from the vehicle's initial location to the customerpick-up location,. Alternatively, the vehicle is occupied after pickingup the customer (e.g., while driving the customer to their destination).When the vehicle is occupied, the passenger may provide assistance ifthe vehicle stalls. For example, the passenger may drive the vehicle,fix the failure, call for help, or walk to get help.

In this optional configuration, at block 112, the vehicle may furtherdetermine if the passenger (e.g., customer) has the ability to drive thevehicle. That is, the passenger may need to drive the vehicle should astall occur. As such, if the passenger is not able to drive the vehicle,the passenger's presence is moot. The ability to drive may be determinedfrom information, such as driver's license information, stored in acustomer's profile.

In some cases, the customer that reserved the vehicle may be differentfrom the passenger. Alternatively, the customer may be requesting thevehicle for the customer and one or more other passengers. In oneconfiguration, the vehicle uses a scanner, or camera, to scan eachpassenger's driver's license to determine whether one or more passengersare able to drive the vehicle.

If the passengers cannot drive the vehicle, at block 114, the vehicledetermines if an alternate route is available. Furthermore, if thevehicle is unoccupied during the route, at block 114, the vehicledetermines if an alternate route is available. If an alternate route isavailable, at block 106, the vehicle determines whether the alternateroute includes a stall factor. Alternatively, if an alternate route isnot available, at block 116, the vehicle does not accept the customer'sreservation. The customer may not override the vehicle's decision tocancel the reservation.

In one configuration, in addition to determining whether there is apotential for stalling on the route to a destination, the navigationsystem determines whether there is a potential for stalling on a returnroute from the destination. The return route refers to a route from thecustomer's destination to the vehicle's starting point or anotherlocation. Determining whether there is a potential for stalling on thereturn route may be made in conjunction with, or exclusive from,determining whether there is a potential for stalling on the route tothe destination.

In most cases, the customer is not present during the return route.Still, there are situations where a customer may be present during thereturn route. For example, a vehicle owner may reserve the car to arriveat a location and drive the vehicle owner home. In this example, thevehicle owner's home is the return location. Thus, the vehicle owner(e.g., customer) is present during the return route.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram 200 for determining whether to accepta reservation according to aspects of the present disclosure. In anoptional configuration, at block 202, the navigation system determineswhether a route to an initial destination (e.g., customer pickuplocation and/or customer drop-off location) is available. The navigationsystem may determine whether the route to the destination is availablebased on the flow diagram 100 of FIG. 1. If the route to the destinationis not available, the process ends (block 204).

If the route to the initial destination is available, the navigationsystem determines a return route (block 206). Determining the returnroute may be exclusive of determining whether a route to the initialdestination is available. After determining the return route, at block208, the navigation system determines whether there is a stall factor onthe route (e.g., return route). Although not shown in FIG. 2, in oneconfiguration, the vehicle determines if it will be occupied during thereturn route. The vehicle may also determine if a passenger is capableof driving the vehicle. The occupancy determination and/or thepassenger's ability to drive may be used to determine whether thevehicle should select a return route with a stall factor.

If the return route does not include a stall factor, the reservation isaccepted (block 210). If the return route includes a stall factor, thenavigation system determines if an alternate return route is available(block 212). If an alternate route is not available, the vehicle doesnot accept the reservation (block 214). If an alternate route isavailable, at block 208, the vehicle determines whether there is a stallfactor on the route (e.g., alternate return route). If an alternatereturn route does not include a stall factor, at block 210, the vehicleaccepts the customer's reservation. If the alternate route includes astall factor, the process repeats, at block 212, where the vehicledetermines if another alternate route is available. The customer may notoverride the vehicle's decision to cancel the reservation.

FIG. 3A illustrates an example of selecting a route 302, 304 to adestination 314, 316 according to aspects of the present disclosure. Asshown in FIG. 3A, a vehicle 310 may be at an initial location 312 in anarea 300. In this example, a portion of the area 300 includes rain 318.Furthermore, the area 300 includes an outdated map section 324 and aweak signal section 322. The outdated map section 324 refers to aportion of the area 300 where a time since a last map update is greaterthan a threshold. The outdated map section 324 may also refer to an areawithout map information, such as an area with private roads. The weaksignal section 322 refers to a section where one or more transmissionsignals, such as cellular, WiFi, GPS, etc., have weak or no reception.

In this example, the vehicle 310 receives a reservation from a customerat a home 314. The reservation indicates that the customer would like tobe dropped off at an office 316. Upon receiving the reservation, thevehicle 310 (e.g., the vehicle's 310 navigation system) determines apickup route 302 to the home 314 (e.g., pickup destination) and adrop-off route 304 to the office 316 (e.g., drop-off destination). Insome cases, the vehicle 310 may only determine a route to onedestination. For example, if the customer meets the vehicle 310 at thevehicle's 310 initial location 312, the vehicle 310 only determines aroute to the customer's drop-off destination 316. The vehicle 310determines whether each route 302, 304 includes a stall factor.

In the present example, the vehicle 310 determines that there is rain318 on a portion of the pickup route 302. As such, due to the rain 318(e.g., stall factor), there is a potential for stalling on the pickuproute 302. The rain 318 may cause sensor failure or mechanical failure(e.g., an accident) due to the wet conditions. The vehicle 310 maydetermine whether it will be occupied during the pickup route 302. Inthis example, the vehicle 310 is not occupied during the pickup route302, therefore, the vehicle 310 determines an alternate pickup route320. The vehicle 310 also determines if there is a stall factor on thealternate pickup route 320. Because the alternate pickup route 320 isclear of stall factors, the alternate pickup route 320 is selected asthe route to the house 314.

After selecting the alternate pickup route 320, the vehicle 310determines a drop-off route 304 from the house 314 (e.g., customer'slocation) to the office 316 (e.g., customer's drop-off destination). Thevehicle 310 determines if there is a stall factor on the drop-off route320. As shown in FIG. 3A, a portion of the drop-off route 304 overlapswith the weak signal section 322 (e.g., stall factor). As such, there isa potential for stalling in the weak signal section 322. The stall maybe caused by sensor failure due to a weak signal. Additionally, should amechanical failure occur, the vehicle 310 may not be able to call forhelp due to the weak signal.

Because the drop-off route 304 includes a stall factor, the vehicle 310determines whether it will be occupied during the drop-off route 304. Inthis example, the customer will be in the vehicle 310 during thedrop-off route 304. In one configuration, the vehicle 310 furtherdetermines if the customer is capable of driving the vehicle 310 in amanual mode. The determination may be based on information in thecustomer's profile. For example, the customer's profile may include thecustomer's driver's license information. In the example of FIG. 3A, itis assumed that the customer is capable of driving the vehicle 310. Assuch, the vehicle 310 selects the drop-off route 304 event though thereis a potential for stalling.

After determining that the vehicle 310 may navigate routes 304, 320 tothe destinations 314, 216, the vehicle 310 may confirm the reservation.In one configuration, prior to confirming the reservation, the vehicle310 determines whether a return route is available. The return route isa route from the customer drop-off location 316 to the vehicle's 310next location, such as a designated starting point or another customerpickup. FIG. 3B illustrates an example of selecting a return route 332,334 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

In the example of FIG. 3B, the vehicle 310 determines a return route 332from the office 316 (e.g., customer drop-off location) to a returnlocation 330, such as a parking lot. After determining the return route332, the vehicle 310 determines if the return route 332 includes a stallfactor. As shown in FIG. 3B, a portion of the return route 332 overlapswith the weak signal section 322 (e.g., stall factor). As such, there isa potential for stalling in the weak signal section 322.

Because there is a potential for stalling on the return route 332, thevehicle 310 determines whether the vehicle 310 will be occupied duringthe return route 332. In this example, because the return route 332 isafter the customer drop-off, the vehicle 310 will be unoccupied.Therefore, the vehicle 310 determines an alternate return route 334.

In response to determining the alternate return route 334, the vehicle310 determines whether the alternate return route 334 includes a stallfactor. As shown in FIG. 3B, a portion of the alternate return route 334overlaps with the outdated map section 324 (e.g., stall factor). Assuch, there is a potential for stalling in outdated map section 324. Anoutdated map may cause a stall because the roads may be unknown or oneor more roads may be inaccessible (e.g., private roads). Because thereis a potential for stalling on the alternate return route 334, thevehicle 310 determines whether it will be occupied during the alternatereturn route 334. In this example, the alternate return route 334 isafter the customer drop-off, thus, the vehicle 310 will be unoccupied.The vehicle 310 determines if there is yet another route to the returnlocation 330.

In this example, the return route 332 and the alternate return route 334are the only routes available to the return location 330. In oneconfiguration, the vehicle 310 cancels the reservation if a return routeis not available. In another configuration, the vehicle 310 determinesan alternative pickup or drop-off location if the vehicle has apotential for stalling on one or more of the routes (e.g., destinationroute or return route).

In the example of FIG. 3B, the vehicle 310 has a potential for stallingon both the return route 332 and the alternate return route 334. Thus,the vehicle 310 determines whether a return route without a stall factoris available if an alternate return area or an alternate drop-off areais selected. The alternate return area and the alternate drop-offdestination are within a pre-determined distance from the originalreturn area 330 and original drop-off destination 316, respectively. Inthis example, the vehicle 310 selects an alternate drop-off area 336that is within a pre-determined distance from the original drop-offdestination 316. The alternate drop-off destination may also include apre-determined location or a mass transit location, such as a bus stopor a train state. The mass transit location may be the nearest masstransit location to the original drop-off destination 316.

The vehicle 310 determines whether there is stall factor on the returnroute 332 and/or the alternate return route 334 if the original drop-offdestination 316 is changed to the alternate drop-off area 336. As shownin FIG. 3B, the return route 332 would bypass the weak signal section322 if the return route 332 originated from a location within thealternate drop-off area 336. Therefore, selecting the return route 332avoids a known stall factor. In this configuration, rather thancanceling the reservation, the vehicle 310 may offer the customer theoption of canceling or selecting the alternate drop-off area 336. Thevehicle 310 may also provide a reason why it cannot use the originaldrop-off destination 316.

To aspects of the present disclosure, the navigation system (e.g.,vehicle) determines whether the stall factor is temporary. For example,if a potential stall is based on rain, the navigation system estimatesthe rain's duration. The estimated duration of a stall factor, such asthe rain, may be obtained from a command center, weather data, trafficdata, communications with other vehicles, or other data sources. In thisexample, the vehicle may still accept the reservation if the rain isestimated to dissipate prior to the vehicle reaching the rain'slocation.

Additionally, or alternatively, if the stall factor is temporary, thenavigation system may wait for the stall factor to end before embarkingon the route. In one configuration, the navigation system determines ifthe wait time is less than a threshold. If the wait time is less thanthe threshold, the navigation system may wait for the stall factor toend. The navigation system may also give the customer an option forwaiting for the stall factor to end or cancelling the reservation. Ifthe wait time is greater than the threshold, the navigation system maycancel the reservation.

As discussed, to accept a reservation, the navigation system maydetermine whether the vehicle has a potential for stalling on a route toone or more destinations. The destinations may include a pickuplocation, a drop-off location, a return location, or other type oflocation. If a route to a destination includes a stall factor, thevehicle may cancel the reservation. Alternatively, the navigation systemmay offer one or more alternative destinations that allow the vehicle tobypass portions of the route with a stall factor. The alternativedestination is a destination or area, such as a main thoroughfare, nearan original destination.

Additionally, or alternatively, if a stall factor is temporary, thenavigation system may estimate the stall factor's duration. Thenavigation system may inform the customer that there is a delay due to astall factor. The customer may choose to cancel the reservation or waitfor the stall factor to end. If the delay is greater than a delaythreshold, the navigation system may cancel the reservation withoutgiving the customer an option to accept the reservation.

The stall factors may include, but are not limited to, low resources(e.g., fuel, battery), wireless signal strength being less than a signalstrength threshold, environmental conditions, road hazards, unmappedareas, out-of-date maps, accidents, sensor failure conditions, etc. Forexample, the vehicle may stall in areas with potential sensor failureconditions. As one example, vehicle sensors (e.g., cameras) used todetect traffic light colors may fail to detect a color if an angle ofthe sun is within a certain range. As another example, light detectionand ranging (LIDAR) sensors may not function in rain or fog. In yetanother example, the vehicle may lose track of its position if the routeincludes areas with limited signals or no signals, such as a tunnel. Thesignals may include different communication signals, such as a globalpositioning system (GPS) signal, a wireless Internet signal, a cellularsignal, etc.

As discussed, the stall factors may also include environmentalconditions. For the sensors, such as a camera, the navigation system maydetermine backlight conditions, vehicle direction, traffic lightlocations, intersection arrival times, an angle of sun, weather,building information (e.g., whether buildings block the sun), etc. Theaforementioned information, such as the sun's angle, may be included inthe vehicle's stored map data. The information may also be obtained fromthe Internet or other data sources.

For a LIDAR sensor, and other sensors, weather conditions, such ashumidity, may cause sensor failure. Thus, the navigation system mayestimate various weather conditions, such as humidity, based onavailable weather information. The navigation system may also considerthe time of day and/or the travel duration. For a GPS sensor, and othersensors, a weak signal or an interrupted signal may cause sensorfailure. Thus, the navigation system may estimate signal strength for aroute. The signal strength may be estimated based on, for example,building information (e.g., height and location), tunnel locations,terrain information (e.g., a height of surrounding mountains), a numberof satellites, satellite positions, a number of cell towers, a number ofWiFi transceivers, etc. The information may be stored in the map data.

In one configuration, the navigation system determines if a stall factoris greater than or less than a threshold. For example, if the amount ofrain is greater than a rain threshold, the rain is determined to be astall factor. If the rain is less than a threshold, the rain is notconsidered a stall factor. In another example, if buildings and/orsurrounding environmental features cause a cellular signal to be lessthan a threshold, the buildings and/or surrounding environmentalfeatures are stall factors. If the cellular signal is greater than athreshold in view of the buildings and/or surrounding environmentalfeatures, the aforementioned elements are not risk factors. In oneconfiguration, a customer cannot override or ignore considerations ofwhether a particular route may include a stall factor.

A stall factor may also include a calculation failure. For example,calculation errors in a route planning system (e.g., autonomous drivingsystem) may occur when the vehicle travels through an outdated map area.The calculation errors may include errors in localization, objecttracking, path planning, and/or other calculations. In one example, anoutdated map may cause the route planning system to lose track of itslocation in relation to the map (e.g., localization error).

As another example, when the vehicle is in an outdated map area, theroute planning system may mislabel surrounding objects (e.g., objecttracking error) if one or more objects are tracked based on mapinformation. In yet another when the vehicle is in an outdated map area,the route planning system, the route planning system may fail to removeintestinal information from the map. That is, the outdated map mayincrease the use of system resources, thereby causing delays or errorsin calculations. .

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementationfor a route planning system 400, according to aspects of the presentdisclosure. The route planning system 400 may be a component of avehicle, a robotic device, or other device. For example, as shown inFIG. 4, the route planning system 400 is a component of an MAAS vehicle428. Aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to the routeplanning system 400 being a component of the vehicle 428, as otherdevices, such as a bus, boat, drone, or robot, are also contemplated forusing the route planning system 400. The vehicle 428 may be autonomousor semi-autonomous.

The route planning system 400 may be implemented with a busarchitecture, represented generally by a bus 440. The bus 440 mayinclude any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on thespecific application of the route planning system 400 and the overalldesign constraints. The bus 440 links together various circuitsincluding one or more processors and/or hardware modules, represented bya processor 420, a communication module 422, a location module 418, asensor module 402, a locomotion module 426, a navigation module 424, anda computer-readable medium 414. The bus 440 may also link various othercircuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, andpower management circuits, which are well known in the art, andtherefore, will not be described any further.

The route planning system 400 includes a transceiver 416 coupled to theprocessor 420, the sensor module 402, a comfort module 408, thecommunication module 422, the location module 418, the locomotion module426, the navigation module 424, and the computer-readable medium 414.The transceiver 416 is coupled to an antenna 444. The transceiver 416communicates with various other devices over a transmission medium. Forexample, the transceiver 416 may receive commands via transmissions froma user or a remote device. As another example, the transceiver 416 maytransmit driving statistics and information from the comfort module 408to a server (not shown).

The route planning system 400 includes the processor 420 coupled to thecomputer-readable medium 414. The processor 420 performs processing,including the execution of software stored on the computer-readablemedium 414 providing functionality according to the disclosure. Thesoftware, when executed by the processor 420, causes the route planningsystem 400 to perform the various functions described for a particulardevice, such as the vehicle 428, or any of the modules 402, 414, 416,418, 420, 422, 424, 426. The computer-readable medium 414 may also beused for storing data that is manipulated by the processor 420 whenexecuting the software.

The sensor module 402 may be used to obtain measurements via differentsensors, such as a first sensor 406 and a second sensor 404. The firstsensor 406 may be a vision sensor, such as a stereoscopic camera or ared-green-blue (RGB) camera, for capturing 2D images. The second sensor404 may be a ranging sensor, such as a light detection and ranging(LIDAR) sensor or a radio detection and ranging (RADAR) sensor. Ofcourse, aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to theaforementioned sensors as other types of sensors, such as, for example,thermal, sonar, and/or lasers are also contemplated for either of thesensors 404, 406. The measurements of the first sensor 406 and thesecond sensor 404 may be processed by one or more of the processor 420,the sensor module 402, the communication module 422, the location module418, the locomotion module 426, the navigation module 424, inconjunction with the computer-readable medium 414 to implement thefunctionality described herein. In one configuration, the data capturedby the first sensor 406 and the second sensor 404 may be transmitted toan external device via the transceiver 416. The first sensor 406 and thesecond sensor 404 may be coupled to the vehicle 428 or may be incommunication with the vehicle 428.

The location module 418 may be used to determine a location of thevehicle 428. For example, the location module 418 may use a globalpositioning system (GPS) to determine the location of the vehicle 428.The communication module 422 may be used to facilitate communicationsvia the transceiver 416. For example, the communication module 422 maybe configured to provide communication capabilities via differentwireless protocols, such as WiFi, long term evolution (LTE), 4G, etc.The communication module 422 may also be used to communicate with othercomponents of the vehicle 428 that are not modules of the route planningsystem 400.

The locomotion module 426 may be used to facilitate locomotion of thevehicle 428. As an example, the locomotion module 426 may controlmovement of the wheels. As another example, the locomotion module 426may be in communication with a power source of the vehicle 428, such asan engine or batteries. Of course, aspects of the present disclosure arenot limited to providing locomotion via wheels and are contemplated forother types of components for providing locomotion, such as propellers,treads, fins, and/or jet engines.

The route planning system 400 also includes the navigation module 424for planning a route or controlling the locomotion of the vehicle 428,via the locomotion module 426. In one configuration, the planning module424 overrides the user input when the user input is expected (e.g.,predicted) to cause a collision. The modules may be software modulesrunning in the processor 420, resident/stored in the computer-readablemedium 414, one or more hardware modules coupled to the processor 420,or some combination thereof.

The navigation module 424 may be in communication with the sensor module402, the transceiver 416, the processor 420, the communication module422, the location module 418, the locomotion module 426, the planningmodule 424, and the computer-readable medium 414. In one configuration,the navigation module 424 receives a reservation from a customer via theprocessor 420 and/or the transceiver 416. The reservation may include apickup location and a drop-off location. Based on the vehicle's 428location obtained from the location module 418, the navigation module424 determines a route to the pickup location, a route to the drop-offlocation, and/or a route to a return location.

For each route, the navigation module 424 determines whether the routeincludes a stall factor. That is, the navigation module 424 determineswhether the vehicle 428 has a potential for stalling along each route.The stall factor(s) may be determined by information obtained from anexternal source, such as the Internet, via the transceiver 416, sensordata obtained from the sensor module 402, and/or map and environmentdata stored in the computer-readable medium 414 and/or a storage module(not shown).

For example, the navigation module 424 may determine backlightconditions at intersections, the vehicle's 428 direction atintersections, the positions of traffic lights, the arrival time atintersections, the position of the sun, weather at the intersections,building information, as well as other factors. If there is a potentialfor stalling along a route, the navigation module 424 may determine oneor more alternate routes and/or alternate pickup or drop-off locations.

The navigation module 424 may also communicate with the customer via thetransceiver 416 and/or communication module 422. For example, if one ormore routes are not available, the navigation module 424 may use thetransceiver 416 and/or the communication module 422 to inform thecustomer that the reservation cannot be honored. Alternatively, if thenavigation module 424 determines that the trip can be completed, thenavigation module 424 may use the transceiver 416 and/or thecommunication module 422 to inform the customer that the reservation canbe honored. The navigation module 424 may transmit directions to thelocation module 418 to cause the vehicle 428 to drive on the determinedroute.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method 500 for route planning for an autonomousvehicle according to an aspect of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 5, at block 502, a route planning system determines whether a stallfactor is present during a route to a destination. The stall factor mayinclude an environmental factor, an age of map data being greater than athreshold, missing map data, signal strength being less than athreshold, and/or a battery power being less than a threshold. The routemay include a pickup route from an initial location to a customer pickuplocation, a drop-off route from the customer pickup location to adrop-off location, or a return route from the drop-off location to areturn location. The route may be based on a reservation from a customer(e.g., occupant).

At block 504, the route planning system determines whether theautonomous vehicle will be occupied during the route. In an optionalconfiguration, if the autonomous will be occupied, the route planningsystem determines whether an occupant is capable of driving theautonomous vehicle in a manual mode. At block 506, the route planningsystem determines an alternate route when the stall factor is presentand when the autonomous vehicle is unoccupied during the route. At block508, the route planning system controls the autonomous vehicle to driveon the alternate route when the alternate route does not include a stallfactor.

In one configuration, the route planning system determines the alternateroute when the stall factor is present and when the occupant is notcapable of driving the autonomous vehicle in the manual mode. The routeplanning system may also determine whether a stall factor is presentalong the alternate route. The reservation may be cancelled if thealternate route includes a stall factor. In one configuration, analternate destination is determined if a stall factor is present on thealternate route. The alternate destination may be a location within athreshold distance from the destination, a pre-determined location, or amass transit location.

As used herein, the term “determining” encompasses a wide variety ofactions. For example, “determining” may include calculating, computing,processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in atable, a database or another data structure), ascertaining and the like.Additionally, “determining” may include receiving (e.g., receivinginformation), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory) and the like.Furthermore, “determining” may include resolving, selecting, choosing,establishing, and the like.

As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of itemsrefers to any combination of those items, including single members. Asan example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a, b, c,a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits describedin connection with the present disclosure may be implemented orperformed with a processor configured to perform the functions discussedin the present disclosure. The processor may be a neural networkprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array signal (FPGA)or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistorlogic, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof designedto perform the functions described herein. The processor may be amicroprocessor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine speciallyconfigured as described herein. A processor may also be implemented as acombination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and amicroprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or such other specialconfiguration, as described herein.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with thepresent disclosure may be embodied directly in hardware, in a softwaremodule executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. Asoftware module may reside in storage or machine readable medium,including random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), flashmemory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electricallyerasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk,a removable disk, a CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that canbe used to carry or store desired program code in the form ofinstructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.A software module may comprise a single instruction, or manyinstructions, and may be distributed over several different codesegments, among different programs, and across multiple storage media. Astorage medium may be coupled to a processor such that the processor canread information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Inthe alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor.

The methods disclosed herein comprise one or more steps or actions forachieving the described method. The method steps and/or actions may beinterchanged with one another without departing from the scope of theclaims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions isspecified, the order and/or use of specific steps and/or actions may bemodified without departing from the scope of the claims.

The functions described may be implemented in hardware, software,firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in hardware, anexample hardware configuration may comprise a processing system in adevice. The processing system may be implemented with a busarchitecture. The bus may include any number of interconnecting busesand bridges depending on the specific application of the processingsystem and the overall design constraints. The bus may link togethervarious circuits including a processor, machine-readable media, and abus interface. The bus interface may be used to connect a networkadapter, among other things, to the processing system via the bus. Thenetwork adapter may be used to implement signal processing functions.For certain aspects, a user interface (e.g., keypad, display, mouse,joystick, etc.) may also be connected to the bus. The bus may also linkvarious other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltageregulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are wellknown in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further.

The processor may be responsible for managing the bus and processing,including the execution of software stored on the machine-readablemedia. Software shall be construed to mean instructions, data, or anycombination thereof, whether referred to as software, firmware,middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

In a hardware implementation, the machine-readable media may be part ofthe processing system separate from the processor. However, as thoseskilled in the art will readily appreciate, the machine-readable media,or any portion thereof, may be external to the processing system. By wayof example, the machine-readable media may include a transmission line,a carrier wave modulated by data, and/or a computer product separatefrom the device, all which may be accessed by the processor through thebus interface. Alternatively, or in addition, the machine-readablemedia, or any portion thereof, may be integrated into the processor,such as the case may be with cache and/or specialized register files.Although the various components discussed may be described as having aspecific location, such as a local component, they may also beconfigured in various ways, such as certain components being configuredas part of a distributed computing system.

The processing system may be configured with one or more microprocessorsproviding the processor functionality and external memory providing atleast a portion of the machine-readable media, all linked together withother supporting circuitry through an external bus architecture.Alternatively, the processing system may comprise one or moreneuromorphic processors for implementing the neuron models and models ofneural systems described herein. As another alternative, the processingsystem may be implemented with an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC) with the processor, the bus interface, the userinterface, supporting circuitry, and at least a portion of themachine-readable media integrated into a single chip, or with one ormore field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices(PLDs), controllers, state machines, gated logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, or any other suitable circuitry, or any combination ofcircuits that can perform the various functions described throughoutthis present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize howbest to implement the described functionality for the processing systemdepending on the particular application and the overall designconstraints imposed on the overall system.

The machine-readable media may comprise a number of software modules.The software modules may include a transmission module and a receivingmodule. Each software module may reside in a single storage device or bedistributed across multiple storage devices. By way of example, asoftware module may be loaded into RAM from a hard drive when atriggering event occurs. During execution of the software module, theprocessor may load some of the instructions into cache to increaseaccess speed. One or more cache lines may then be loaded into a specialpurpose register file for execution by the processor. When referring tothe functionality of a software module below, it will be understood thatsuch functionality is implemented by the processor when executinginstructions from that software module. Furthermore, it should beappreciated that aspects of the present disclosure result inimprovements to the functioning of the processor, computer, machine, orother system implementing such aspects.

If implemented in software, the functions may be stored or transmittedover as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium.Computer-readable media include both computer storage media andcommunication media including any storage medium that facilitatestransfer of a computer program from one place to another. Additionally,any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. Forexample, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or otherremote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair,digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared(IR), radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable,twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, andmicrowave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, asused herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc,digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray® disc where disksusually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce dataoptically with lasers. Thus, in some aspects computer-readable media maycomprise non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., tangible media).In addition, for other aspects computer-readable media may comprisetransitory computer- readable media (e.g., a signal). Combinations ofthe above should also be included within the scope of computer-readablemedia.

Thus, certain aspects may comprise a computer program product forperforming the operations presented herein. For example, such a computerprogram product may comprise a computer-readable medium havinginstructions stored (and/or encoded) thereon, the instructions beingexecutable by one or more processors to perform the operations describedherein. For certain aspects, the computer program product may includepackaging material.

Further, it should be appreciated that modules and/or other appropriatemeans for performing the methods and techniques described herein can bedownloaded and/or otherwise obtained by a user terminal and/or basestation as applicable. For example, such a device can be coupled to aserver to facilitate the transfer of means for performing the methodsdescribed herein. Alternatively, various methods described herein can beprovided via storage means, such that a user terminal and/or basestation can obtain the various methods upon coupling or providing thestorage means to the device. Moreover, any other suitable technique forproviding the methods and techniques described herein to a device can beutilized.

It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the preciseconfiguration and components illustrated above. Various modifications,changes, and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation, anddetails of the methods and apparatus described above without departingfrom the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for route planning for an autonomousvehicle, comprising: determining whether a stall factor is presentduring a route to a destination; determining whether the autonomousvehicle will be occupied during the route; determining an alternateroute when the stall factor is present and when the autonomous vehicleis unoccupied during the route; and controlling the autonomous vehicleto drive on the alternate route when the alternate route does notinclude a stall factor.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdetermining whether an occupant is capable of driving the autonomousvehicle in a manual mode.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprisingdetermining the alternate route when the stall factor is present andwhen the occupant is not capable of driving the autonomous vehicle inthe manual mode.
 4. The method of claim 1, in which the route is one ofa pickup route from an initial location to a customer pickup location, adrop-off route from the customer pickup location to a drop-off location,or a return route from the drop-off location to a return location. 5.The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining the route basedon a reservation from a customer; and cancelling the reservation whenthe alternate route comprises a stall factor.
 6. The method of claim 1,further comprising determining an alternate destination if the alternateroute comprises a stall factor.
 7. The method of claim 1, in which thealternate destination is a location within a threshold distance from thedestination, a pre-determined location, or a mass transit location. 8.The method of claim 1, in which the stall factor comprises at least oneof an environmental factor, an age of map data being greater than athreshold, missing map data, signal strength being less than athreshold, battery power being less than a threshold, or a combinationthereof.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining aduration of the stall factor of the route; and altering an action of theautonomous vehicle based on the duration.
 10. An apparatus for routeplanning for an autonomous vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a memory;and at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least oneprocessor configured: to determine whether a stall factor is presentduring a route to a destination; to determine whether the autonomousvehicle will be occupied during the route; to determine an alternateroute when the stall factor is present and when the autonomous vehicleis unoccupied during the route; and to control the autonomous vehicle todrive on the alternate route when the alternate route does not include astall factor.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, in which the at least oneprocessor is further configured to determine whether an occupant iscapable of driving the autonomous vehicle in a manual mode.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 11, in which the at least one processor is furtherconfigured to determine the alternate route when the stall factor ispresent and when the occupant is not capable of driving the autonomousvehicle in the manual mode.
 13. The apparatus of claim 10, in which theroute is one of a pickup route from an initial location to a customerpickup location, a drop-off route from the customer pickup location to adrop-off location, or a return route from the drop-off location to areturn location.
 14. The apparatus of claim 10, in which the at leastone processor is further configured: to determine the route based on areservation from a customer; and to cancel the reservation when thealternate route comprises a stall factor.
 15. The apparatus of claim 10,in which the at least one processor is further configured to determinean alternate destination if the alternate route comprises a stallfactor.
 16. The apparatus of claim 10, in which the alternatedestination is a location within a threshold distance from thedestination, a pre-determined location, or a mass transit location. 17.The apparatus of claim 10, in which the stall factor comprises at leastone of an environmental factor, an age of map data being greater than athreshold, missing map data, signal strength being less than athreshold, battery power being less than a threshold, or a combinationthereof.
 18. The apparatus of claim 10, in which the at least oneprocessor is further configured: to determine a duration of the stallfactor of the route; and to alter an action of the autonomous vehiclebased on the duration.
 19. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumhaving program code recorded thereon for route planning for anautonomous vehicle, the program code executed by a processor andcomprising: program code to determine whether a stall factor is presentduring a route to a destination; program code to determine whether theautonomous vehicle will be occupied during the route; program code todetermine an alternate route when the stall factor is present and whenthe autonomous vehicle is unoccupied during the route; and program codeto control the autonomous vehicle to drive on the alternate route whenthe alternate route does not include a stall factor.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, in which theprogram code further comprises program code to determine the alternateroute when the stall factor is present and when an occupant is notcapable of driving the autonomous vehicle in a manual mode.